All is not well with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his party ahead of the proposed meeting of non-NDA opposition party leaders in Patna on June 12. The latest victim is likely to be Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha Harivansh Narayan Singh, popularly known as Harivansh.
The party made a scathing attack on him on Monday for his participation at the inaugural function of the new Parliament building on Sunday when his boss, the vice-president, was not even invited to the function.
The party is likely to take some serious disciplinary action against him soon.
Harivansh, a journalist and politician who is the deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha, the upper House of Parliament since August 2018 on JDU quota. He is a member of the upper House since 2014.
The chief spokesman of the JDU Neeraj Kumar, while talking to reporters here, categorically said: “In order to protect his post, Harivansh ji has sold out his conscience and intellect. From a post of journalist, the party had elevated him to a Rajy Sabha member”.
The JDU had boycotted the inaugural function of the new building of the Parliament.
In contrast, JDU leaders had organised a day-long protest dharna in Patna on Sunday. “When the vice-president is not invited, he has himself put his name in black letters by attending the function sitting along with PM Modi”.
Harivansh was seated alongside PM Modi and Speaker Om Birla on the main dais. Besides receiving and seeing off the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he spoke thrice. Apart from his own speech, he read the long messages of President Droupadi Murmu and Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar.
“I don’t know what action would be taken against him by the party leadership, but his action is undoubtedly not acceptable for us,” he said.
Party leaders, quoting his address at the inaugural function of the new Parliament building, said, “It will prove a source of inspiration in the “amritkaal”. Harivansh termed the new building as an “important milestone”.
When the JDU led by CM Nitish parted ways with the BJP in August last year, speculations about his fate had been rife. But during that time, party leaders had decided that there was no need for the RS deputy chairman to step down from the post even though he was elected as the NDA nominee.
Prior to his entry in politics, Harivansh served as editor-in-chief of a multi-edition Hindi daily called “Prabhat Khabar” for decades. For a period of four months, he also served as the additional media advisor of the former prime minister late Chandrashekhar.
Several JDU leaders, including Upendra Kushwaha, RCP Singh and Meena Singh, have already deserted the party in the last few months. The latest is the former MP from Begusarai Monazir Hasan. Monazir resigned from the primary membership of JDU on Sunday. He has already sent his resignation letter to the party president Lallan Singh.
Soon after his resignation from the party, Hasan told reporters, “Many leaders from minority communities have not been given due representation in the government. Several leaders have been sidelined by the top party leaders.”
His resignation may have an adverse impact on the performances of the JDU in the forthcoming elections, both for the Lok Sabha and state assembly, in 2024 and 2025, respectively.
Monazir Hasan had represented Munger assembly seat, which comes under Munger parliamentary constituency, for four terms. Currently, JDU national president Lallan Singh represents Munger seat in the Lok Sabha.